Minor league notebook: Mier taking it one step at a time

LANCASTER, Calif. — Jiovanni Mier knows what kind of opportunity the Astros’ rebuilding organization can provide. He has watched two of his teammates from the opening-day roster at low Class A Lexington in 2010 – Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez – advance all the way to the big leagues.

Two weeks from his 21st birthday, the shortstop also recognizes where he stands, two years and some change after being signed as the Astros’ first-round pick of the 2009 draft.

On the night when first-rounders from around baseball were starting their professional careers with their own lucrative deals, Mier was three levels from the big leagues, hitting .203 at high Class A Lancaster. He was filled with hope about what could be ahead and at the same time perfectly candid about what could have been the last two years as he has struggled since a promising rookie league debut in 2009.

“To see what they’re doing with guys who I played with in low A ball last year and to see them in the big leagues, that’s obviously very encouraging,” Mier said. “You want to go out there and perform each and every day, and you want to be the next guy.

“I take it very, very hard because I know that if I was to play to my full potential and done what I should have done the last two years, there’s no telling where I’d be right now.”

Injury a setback

Mostly, he is focused on where he is, trying to improve not only on the .203 average but a .242 slugging percentage unbecoming of one of baseball’s best hitting environments.

“It’s kind of weird. I feel night and day as compared to last year, but the numbers are down,” Mier said. “I feel a lot better. I feel comfortable. I feel confident. It’s just a matter of getting hits. And it’s still a struggle for me finding holes and finding gaps.”

After struggling at Lexington last year, Mier repeated the level in 2011 and got a midseason call-up after hitting .245 with a .354 on-base percentage and .380 slugging percentage. The ensuing stint at Lancaster was interrupted for a couple weeks by an injury caused by an aggressive slide, but Mier said he’s back to roughly “90 percent” on his knee and ankle.

He’s always been and still is one to get his walks. But he’s struggled with putting the ball in play, starting his tenure in his home state of California with 43 strikeouts in 155 plate appearances.

“I just put myself in bad situations,” Mier admitted. “It’s just a constant battle of putting the ball in play when I should have had the chance to, and I put myself in deeper counts and set myself up for failure.”

Mier’s defense, by internal and external evaluations, is as expected. He was drafted out of high school with the knowledge that his glove was well ahead of his bat.

“He’s sure-handed. He has great actions and anticipation and so forth,” JetHawks manager Tom Spencer said. “He has some work to do with the hitting, but the thing I keep encouraging with the position is the ability to handle the bat, bunting runners over, moving runners, things of that nature.”

No matter the means, Mier knows the bat has to improve. Jonathan Villar was placed ahead of him in the organizational ladder after a 2010 trade deadline deal, and Mier recognizes how much of an opportunity there has been in the last two years. But with a long rebuilding commitment, there is still much more opportunity ahead.